mofarland



' 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

A. L. MQF ARLANDS TRACK LAYING MACHINE.

Patented Jan. 5, 1886 WITNESSES N PETERS. Phalo-Lilllognphnr. Wnhinglnn.D c.

3 Sheets- Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

A. L. MQFARLAND.

TRACK LAYING MACHINE.

WITNESSES: 4 OCINVENTOR .wulzwe t/k M- Xv ATTORNEY NY Farms.Photn-Liihognphnr. Washmgmn. n. c.

(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 3.

A. L. MoFARLAND. TRACK LAYING MACHINE.

No. 333.770. Patented Jan. 5, 1886.

46 .dttorney N. PETERS. Phowmhn m her. Washinglon. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ABRAM L. MOFARLAND, OF PALATKA, FLORIDA.

TRACK-LAYING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 333,770, dated January5, 1886.

Application filed July 6, 1885. Serial No. 170,728. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABRAM L. 1\ICFAR LAND, of Palatka, in the county ofPutnam and State of Florida, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Machines for Laying Railroad-Tracks; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and accurate description of the same.

My invention relates to that class of machines for layingrailroad-tracks wherein the ties and rails are by mechanical meanstransferred from the cars of the train to the roadbed in front of thetrain, where they are put in position and secured by hand, and the trainadvanced as fast as the panels of track are completed, and it avoidsseveral defects incident to the mechanisms heretofore employed. V

, Formerly a car was employed having upon it a motorengine and anendless-chain carrier, now commonly called a tramway, exextending fromthe rear end of the car to a distance of thirty feet, or more, beyondthe front end of said car. The ties and rails loaded upon flat carsimmediately in rear of said machine-car are successively placed on saidcarrier, and thereby delivered to the workmen on the road-bed in frontof said machine, by whom the ties and rails are placed and secured. Themachine-car and the transportation-cars behind it are then pushedforward upon the newly-made panel of track and the operation repeated.In this way all the material for the way is transported to the frontupon the track itself, instead of being ,hauled by horses anddistributed along the line of the roadway at greatly-increased labor andexpense; but the carrier of the machine above described only extends tothe rear end of the machine-car, and the material loaded upon the flatcars of the transportationtrain must therefore be conveyed forward tothe flat car next to the machine-car. To avoid the labor of thistransportation, inclined tramways have been placed along the sides ofthe cars and extending the whole length of the train. These sideprojecting tramways are necessarily removed while the train is runningback and forth, because they are constantly liable to suffer damagethemselves, or inflict damage to structure along the line, such asbridges, stations, &-c. The necessity of frequent removal andreplacement of the tramways has been avoided by placing atramway alongthe center of the deck of the fiat car, and by combining a number ofcars so provided to constitute the constructiontrain; but whereas theside tramways could be applied to any cars at hand the centraltramway,being fixed to the car, required the employment only of cars sospecially provided.

My iIlVGtllJlOH remedies the defects and methods of the machines alludedto above by the following instrumentalities: First, portable tramwaysare provided, each being about half the length of a flat car, and theyaresuc cessively placed in position as the load is discharged, so as tolengthen the tramway as required and permit the employment of ordinaryflat cars; second, the portable tramways are each provided with a properlength of open-link drag-chain, and as each tramway is added the endlessdrag-chain is unhooked and the tramway chain is added, so that theendless drag-chain is extended in length each time a tramway is added,and may be extended to the whole length of the train; third, the forwardextension of the carrier is supported by a craneframe on themachine-car, and said machine-car is provided with three tramways, thecenter one extending about thirty feet in front of the machine car, todeliver ties beyond the panel of track next in front of said machine,and those at the sides terminating at the front of said car, to deliverthe rails; fourth, two tackles traveling on truss-rods on each side ofsaid craneframe take and support the rails as they leave the carrier,and enable the workmen to lower them simultaneously exactly in the placedesired without lifting; fifth, an endless chain passes from the extremefront of the carrier to the rear extremity of the tramway, and isprovided with dogs or hooks which engage the ties or rails andpositively pull them forward along the tramway; sixth, inclined chutesor aprons are placed in advance of two or more rollers adjacent to theends of the tramway, to guide the ends of the advancing tie upon therollers, as set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of mymachine-car. Fig. 2is a plan of the same.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional elevation of the same. Fig. 4 is a sideelevation of two flat cars, showing the operation of the tramways. Fig.5 is a front elevation of the portable tramway and trestle enlarged.Fig. 6 represents the chain and dog attached. Fig. 7isasectionalelevation showing the tramway roller and apron. Fig. 8 is a perspectiveView of my machine and train, showing the operation.

2 is the road-bed.

3 3 are the ties.

4t 4 are the rails in place on the road.

5 5 are ties in position on the road-bed, ready to receive the rails.

e 6 are ties moving forward on the carrier.

7 7 are ties still on the car.

8 8 are rails ready to be lowered upon the ties.

9 9 are rails still on the car.

10 is the machinecar, constructed like an ordinary flat car, and mountedupon ordinary trucks,11. At the front end of said car there are twocrane posts, 12, supported at the top by guys or string-braces 14 whichextend to the rear end of the car and are secured there. The tops ofposts 12 are united by cross-bar 15. Two braces, 13, extend from therear end of the ear to points beneath the craneposts, about twelveinches above the track, where they are supported by tension-rods 38 ateach side. A crane or spar, 16, is seated on the end of the brace 13,and extends upward and forward to a point about twenty-five feet inadvance of the car 10, and a cross-bar, 17, unites the forward endsofthe spars 16. Stringpieces or guys 18 connect the forward ends of thecrane 16 with the tops of the posts 12. This structure constitutes acrane-frame extending forward from the car 10. The tramway is in twoparts, 19 and 20, the former projecting over the roadway, and at itsfront end suspended from the crane 16,and the part 20is mountedpermanently on the car 10. The two parts are jointed together at theiradjoining ends, so that the front end of the carrier 19 may he raised orlowered, as desired. The engine 21 is also mounted on the car 10, andpower is transmitted from it, by belt or otherwise, to thedriving-pulley 22, whereby motion is transmitted to the endless chain23, which going in one direction traverses the tramway-rollers 24, andgoing in theother direction swings from guide-pulley 25. At the rear endof the car 10 there is a gallows-frame, 26, having guide-pulleys 27 atthe top for the chain 23 to pass over. Between said pulleys 27 aslack'take-up weight, 28, is suspended on the chain 23,to keep it taut.The chain 23 is provided at intervals of about eight feet with dogs 29,each provided with a spur to drive into a tie, and thus make a positiveengagement with the tie to pull it forcibly forward.

30 30 are truss or traveler rods extending from the cross-bar 15 to thecrossbar 17, totie said bars and assist in supporting thecrane -16.Traveling blocks and tackles 31 31- are mounted on said rods and adaptedto slide back and forth thereon. NVhen the front end of a rail presentsitself at the front end of the car, it is attached to one of the tackles3l,and thereby supported as said tackle passes along said truss-rod 30.As the rear end of the rail approaches the front end of the car, it isattached to said rear end, and the rail is then wholly supported by thecrane. When the ties are laid and the roadway is ready for the rails,the workmen simply disengage said tackles and lower the rails in place.

It is not undesirable that the endless carrier which moves the tiesshall be elevated above the floor of the car, because the ties are piledhigh; but it is different with regard to the rails, which, being heavy,always occupy position close to the floor. It is desirable, also, thatthe iron shall pass down each side of the machine and be simultaneouslydelivered close to the proper locality where they are to be secured. Itherefore provide two tramways, 32 32one on each side of 20 and at alower levelfor the conveyance of rails, which may also be drawn forwardby chains, or by hand, as preferred. Two rails may thereby besimultaneously advanced and placed,and without being lifted and carriedby the workmen. This is a material saving in time and labor. The threetramways 20 32 32 are all constructed on one set of trestle, 33 33, andthose on the car 10 are permanently fixed, but those for the ordinaryflat cars, 34, are made entirely portable, and are provided with spurs45,to penetrate and catch in the floor of the car to keep them in place.The three-part tramways are, however, only required for those fiat carswhich may be loaded with rails; forthose cars which are loaded withties,only a single tramway on trestle, as 35. Each of said portabletramways is provided with an elevated guide-pulley, 36, at one end andalength of chain, 23, sufficient to pass twice the length of thetramway-section. This chain is preferably made with separable linkscapable of being separated at any point, so that when an additionaltramway-section is added the endless drivechain is opened and the chainbelonging to the added section is inserted, and so the endless chain maybe lengthened to any extent, the take-up Weight 28 sufflcing to keep thechain always taut. These portable tramways, being on the car, present nodifficulty in .running the train past the structures ordinarily alongtheline. They are light, and add nothing appreciable to the load.Therefore they may be carried back andforth, or may be left atthe frontduring each trip to the material-yard. If carried back and forth, thetrainmen uncouple the chains and disconnect the sections during the timethe train is going to the material-yard. The cars are loaded in theusual way, and the trestles deposited on top of the load during thereturntrip to'the front.

Adjoining cars nearly always stand at slight-lyidifferent heights, andsometimes this difference amounts to six or eight inches. A tie passingfrom the tramway of one car to that of another on a different level willnot move in line with the rollers on the tramway which it isapproaching, but will pitch down upon them in one case, or require to belifted up in the othercase. To obviate the possible resulting stoppagein such case, I place an inclined chute or apron, 37, in advance of eachof two or three rollers adjacent to the end of the tramway, and whetherthe tie is advancing on a higher or lower level its end will be receivedupon one or the other of said aprons and conducted upward to the top ofthe roller.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. The combination, with themachine and transportation cars of a track-laying train, of the portabletramways provided with levelfooted trestles and adapted to be set alongthe flat floor of the cars as fast as they are unloaded, and thusgradually extended from the front to the rear end of the train.

2. The combination, with the machine-car provided with an engine and anopen-link endless-chain carrier extending from the rear end to the pointin advance of said car, and one or more transportationcars, constitutinga track-laying train, of portable tramways each provided with trestlesand a sufficient length of chain, whereby said tramway may, as required,be added on and the endless chain extended by inserting additionallengths of chain, as set forth.

3. The portable tramway provided with rollers 24, and trestles providedwit-h'spurs in the feet, guide-rollers, and chains, substantially as setforth.

The tramway for track-laying machines, provided with three sets ofrollers, the central set elevated above the side, as set forth.

5. The combination of the machine-car 10, provided with theforwardly-extending crane 16, the tramway-carrier 19, suspendedtherefrom, the'carrier 20 and 32, mounted permanently on said car, andthe endless-chain driver 23, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with the machine-car 10, provided with the crane 16and tramways 32, of the truss-rods on either side of the tramway, andtraveling tackles running thereon, whereby the rails are seized andsupported after leaving the tramway and independently delivered upon theties at both sides of the way, as set forth.

7. The machinecar 10, provided with an engine, an endless-chain carrier,a gallowsframe, and slack take-up 28.

8. The combination, with atrack-laying machine-car and a tramway mountedthereon, of an overhead endless carrier-chain provided with hooks ordogs, whereby the ties may be positively engaged and forcibly pulledalong said tramway.

9. The combination, with the several cars constituting atrack-layingtrain, of tramways,

each provided with tramway-rollers, and in- A. L. MOFARLAND.

Witnesses:

R. D. 0. SMITH, E. 0. FORD.

